'What's been going on for the last nine years?' Judge's disgust at failure to deport Chinese sex criminal who was refused asylum here in 2002

Disgust: Judge Andrew Bright has questioned how a Chinese man he jailed today could still be in the country nine years after his asylum bid failed

A judge expressed astonishment yesterday that a failed ­asylum seeker from China had managed to evade the authorities for nine years.

Li Ding was found guilty by St Albans Crown Court of possessing extreme pornography, which he hoped to sell.

But Judge Andrew Bright QC said he had been shocked to discover that Ding had been brought before his court nine years after first being refused permission to stay in the UK in 2002.

The judge said: ‘What has been going on for nine years? He has no right to be here or to work here.’

He added: ‘It’s not a satisfactory state of affairs for either him or this country.’

The court had heard how Ding, who has been living in the Varley Parade area of north-west London, made a living selling counterfeit DVDs, including pornography.

The offensive material had been found by police when they stopped him in a car in Radlett, Hertfordshire, on September 17 last year.

He was unanimously convicted by a jury of possessing extreme ­pornography.

He had earlier admitted possessing criminal property.

The judge said: ‘I am baffled how you could be refused political asylum in 2002 and still be here in 2011.

‘The fact is you have been here ­illegally for a good number of years now.’

Judge Bright made his comments at St Albans Crown Court as he jailed Ding for a total of 16 months

Passing sentence, Judge Bright told Ding he had been found guilty of a
particularly unpleasant offence.Referring to the pornographic DVDs, he
told Ding: ‘You were willing to sell them to whoever was willing to buy
them.

‘There was a good chance that they would have fallen into the hands
of children who would have been ­corrupted at the very sight of those
images.’

The judge said it was an aggravating feature that, when found with the material, Ding had admitted intending to sell them.

Sentencing Ding to 16 months in jail, Judge Bright told Ding that his
continued presence in this country was ‘not conducive to public good’.

He will now be automatically considered for deportation when he has
served his sentence but the final decision will be for the UK ­Border
Agency.